Dear Senators Schumer and McConnell,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to urge you to work together to bring H.R. 82, the “Social Security Fairness Act,” to the Senate floor.
Last week, we saw history made when the House, under a suspension of the rules, passed H.R. 82 on an overwhelming and bipartisan 327-75 vote. After 40 years, our nation’s retired public servants are on the cusp of being treated equally by the Social Security Administration (SSA) by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These two provisions of the Social Security Act unfairly reduce or eliminate the Social Security benefits for millions of Americans who have devoted much of their careers to public service. It is time to stop this theft of the benefits they earned. The Senate must act to pass this bipartisan bill—which has 60 cosponsors.
Ultimately, the “Social Security Fairness Act” is about fairness to public employees who served their communities. When these public employees earn a Social Security benefit through other work, they should receive that benefit in full without being penalized because of their public service. The House has passed H.R. 82, and the Senate should act immediately—before the end of the current session.
On behalf of the more than 377,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I urge you and your respective parties to work together on this issue so that this overwhelmingly bipartisan bill can be considered on the Senate floor before the end of this Congress. If I can be of any help or provide additional information about this legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington, D.C. office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President